Blue Ridge Savings Murders
Real Name: Sylvia S. Holtzclaw, Dr. James Elbert Barnes, and Margaret Barnes Nicknames: ''' Eb (James); Maggie (Margaret) '''Location: Greer, South Carolina Date: May 16, 2003 Case Details: The Blue Ridge Savings Bank is a bank housed in a trailer along state Highway 14 near Interstate 85 in Greer, South Carolina. On Friday, May 16, 2003, fifty-six-year-old bank teller Sylvia Holtzclaw was working alone at the bank when customers James Barnes, sixty, and his wife Margaret, fifty-eight, entered. Unfortunately, they weren't alone for long. The panic alarm was pressed by Holtzclaw at 1:30PM which signaled to police that a robbery was in progress at the bank. Within minutes, the police arrived to find Sylvia, James, and Margaret huddled in a back room, shot to death. Authorities believed that the motive for the murders was robbery. An extensive investigation turned up few leads. Despite their best efforts, the senseless murders of the three people are still unsolved. A $2,000 reward is being offered in the case. Suspects: A witness reported seeing an unidentified man at the bank shortly before the robbery/murders. He was described as 5'6"-5'8", 230 pounds, fifty to fifty-three years old and had short, blond hair. A surveillance camera from a convenience store down the street showed a red vehicle driving towards the bank and then driving quickly away from it after the murders occurred. Extra Notes: This case was uploaded to the Unsolved Mysteries website on November 7, 2014. The person interviewed in the video is Sylvia's son, David. The case has also been featured on America’s Most Wanted and Crime Watch Daily. Results: Unresolved. A convicted felon named Emmerson Wright is considered a suspect in this case. A few weeks before the murders, he stole a red Alero from a rental car company nearby. A similar car was seen on surveillance video shortly before and after the murders. Wright used a .40-caliber Glock in several of the robberies he committed; this same type of weapon was used in the murders. However, Wright committed suicide in 2005 after fleeing from police. He was never charged in this case. Several sources have speculated a connection between this case and the Superbike Motorsports Murders which occurred just thirty miles away in November 2003. Todd Kohlhepp later confessed and pleaded guilty to the Superbike murders; however, he has not yet been connected to the Blue Ridge Savings murders. When questioned about the case, he denied any involvement. Links: * Blue Ridge Savings Murders at Unsolved.com * Sylvia Holtzclaw Memory Facebook Group * 3 killed in robbery; suspects hunted * Deadly bank robbery that killed 3 is probed * Couple murdered in bank robbery remembered for helping community * Authorities pursue leads as funeral for bank teller held * Police try new approach to get leads in bank robbery * Police try new approach for leads in bank robbery * Triple killing at bank remains unsolved * Clues but no arrests surfaced in deaths * Police seek info in Greer ’03 slayings * Upstate bank robbery that left 3 dead still unsolved * Tenth Anniversary of Blue Ridge Savings Bank Triple Murder in Greer, South Carolina * Unsolved: Bank robbery ends with town's first triple murder * 15 years later: Blue Ridge Savings Bank triple murders still unsolved * 16 years after Greer bank triple murder, investigators not closer to answers * Blue Ridge Savings Murders at AMW Discussion Forum * Sylvia Holtzclaw, James Barnes, and Margaret Barnes at Find a Grave ---- Category:South Carolina Category:2003 Category:Murder Category:Armed Robbery Category:Web Exclusive Category:Unresolved